Light travels as waves, much like Sound but with some differences.
Unlike sound, light can travel through a vacuum. At first, scientists could not figure out what carried the waves, but the answer was something they already knew about:
A Light Wave travels as a combination of an Electric Field and a Magnetic Field, both of which can travel through a vacuum.
Remember that a changing Electric Field creates a Magnetic Field,
while a changing Magnetic Field creates a changing Electric Field.
A light wave begins with an oscillating electrical charge, which creates the two changing fields. As they change, they carry the wave forward.
Light travels as waves, much like Sound but with some differences.
Unlike sound, light can travel through a vacuum. At first, scientists could not figure out what carried the waves, but the answer was something they already knew about:
A Light Wave travels as a combination of an Electric Field and a Magnetic Field, both of which can travel through a vacuum.
Remember that a changing Electric Field creates a Magnetic Field,
while a changing Magnetic Field creates a changing Electric Field.
A light wave begins with an oscillating electrical charge, which creates the two changing fields. As they change, they carry the wave forward.